Daily Stats (Updated 4/17/2020 at 5:30 pm)
As of today, Lee Health has:
- 70 COVID-19 patients isolated in our hospitals
- Submitted 7,482 specimens for testing
- Discharged 131 patients
- 170 employees quarantined; 34 employees exposed at work and positive with COVID-19
- Click here for graphs showing a running total of specimens collected for testing and positive cases hospitalized.
Today’s News
If You’ve Recovered From COVID-19, You May Be Able To Help
As part of the Mayo Clinic’s COVID-19 Convalescent Plasma Study, we are asking for blood donations from COVID-19 survivors to help treat patients currently battling the virus. All donations collected by Lee Health stay in our community and will be used exclusively for our patients.
Like in any clinical research study, it is unknown if the treatment will be therapeutic, and there are risks involved. Participation in the study is based on the protocol’s preset exclusion and inclusion criteria and the availability of an appropriate blood-type matched unit of convalescent plasma. Being admitted to Lee Health with COVID-19 does not guarantee a patient will qualify for this trial, and even if a patient does qualify, because of probable limited convalescent plasma supplies, the patient may not be enrolled in this study and receive convalescent plasma. All participants are required to sign a consent form from the Mayo’s Institutional Review Board, a committee tasked with protecting the rights and welfare of human subjects.
If you have recovered from COVID-19, have been symptom-free for at least two weeks, and later tested negative for the virus, please consider donating blood to help others in their recovery. Email COVID.plasma@LeeHealth.org to volunteer.
Cape Coral Mobile Collection Site Closed Sunday, April 19
As we have for the past few weeks, we will again close the Cape Coral mobile collection site on Sunday, April 19. The Fort Myers location will be open for appointments. As a reminder, patients need a physician’s order and an appointment to have their specimen collected.
We Love Our First Responders
Last night, the Fort Myers Police Department pulled out all the stops to thank our health care heroes at Lee Memorial Hospital. Along with parking their squad cars in the shape of a heart, they held giant letters that read “FMPD Thanks You.” We appreciate this incredible display of gratitude from our local law enforcement. Click here to watch drone footage.
Read with Miss Florida USA on Facebook Live at 5 p.m.
Miss Florida USA and Naples native Monique Evans is an advocate for children’s mental health. She reached out to us, wanting to do something special for the children in our hospital and community. Today at 5 p.m., she will read The Little Mermaid and answer questions on Facebook Live. Tune in to the Facebook Live on the Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida page or watch it later. We appreciate Monique devoting her time and helping to bring smiles to the faces of Southwest Florida’s children.
~24,066 positive cases in Florida residents and 687 positive cases in non-Florida residents~
TALLAHASSEE — To keep Florida residents and visitors safe, informed and aware about the status of the virus, the Florida Department of Health has launched a COVID-19 dashboard that will be updated twice daily. The twice daily COVID-19 report now includes information by county about deaths related to staff or residents in long-term care facilities. Of the 1,609 cases of residents or staff in long-term care facilities, 157 have died. We also encourage all Floridians to take the COVID-19 Community Action Survey by visiting www.StrongerThanC19.com.
Today, as of 6 p.m., there are 24,753 total** Florida cases.
While Florida’s testing has increased over the past week, the percent of those testing positive for COVID-19 overall is 10 percent. Of the 17,252 tests performed on April 16, there were 1,612 positive results, or 9 percent.
Eighteen people have died who tested positive for COVID-19 Baker, Bradford, Broward, Charlotte, Collier, Dade, Duval, Escambia, Hillsborough, Leon, Manatee, Orange, Palm Beach, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota, Seminole and St. Lucie counties.
New Florida cases include:
- 634 additional positive COVID-19 cases (623 Florida residents and 11 non-Florida residents) reported to the Florida Department of Health.
- There are currently 24,066 positive cases in Florida residents and 687 positive cases in non-Florida residents.
Florida recently partnered with private laboratories around the state to expand COVID-19 laboratory testing capacity. This partnership will increase the number of tests conducted each day and ensure Floridians receive the critical health information they need in a timely manner.
Expansion to private laboratories changes the COVID-19 testing landscape in Florida. Private laboratories are running tests as they receive swab samples from practitioners. Testing and reporting times vary among commercial and DOH laboratories. Demographic information may be updated during investigations. These twice daily reports reflect the state’s efforts to accurately and transparently share information.
World Health Organization Update
SITUATION IN NUMBERS total (new) cases in last 24 hours
(last updated 10:00 AM CET 4/17/2020)
139 378 deaths (8493
5558 deaths (1319)
93 480 deaths (4163)
1051 deaths (61)
5662 deaths (130)
33 028 deaths (2783)
586 deaths (36)
- No new country/territory/area reported cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours.
- Globally, the number of reported confirmed cases exceeded 2 million.
- WHO has released public health guidance for social and religious practices and
gatherings during Ramadan. The guidance also offers advice to strengthen
mental and physical wellbeing as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. The
guidance is available here. - WHO has released guidance on considerations in adjusting public health and
social measures in the context of COVID-19. This document is intended for
national authorities and decision makers in countries that have introduced large
scale public health and social measures. It offers guidance for adjusting public
health and social measures, while managing the risk of a resurgence of
cases. The guidance is available here. - The Chinese authorities have informed WHO that as cases have declined in
China and the strain on the healthcare system has eased, a multisectoral team
was established in late March 2020 to perform a comprehensive review of
COVID-19 data in Wuhan, Hubei Province. Information from a variety of sources
was reviewed, leading to duplicate cases being removed and missed cases
added. Following this review, the total number of cases in Wuhan increased by
325 and the total number of deaths increased by 1290. - As of 11 April 2020, 167 countries, territories and areas have implemented
additional health measures that significantly interfere with international traffic.
An updated summary is outlined in the ‘Subject in Focus’ below.